Why hello libido, how nice of you to make an appearance this afternoon.
10
LUCKY
Who the hell am I?
I mean seriously, who is this asshole who went all of a decade without once acting on his feelings but after a serious heart-to-heart and swapping of scars, can’t seem to stop touching and kissing this amazing woman?
Oh right, I’m a guy who’s been in love with her for thirteen fucking years, and without her the last three.
Yup. That’s who I am now. I’mthatguy.
And right now, I’m so lost in this kiss, so lost in Leo, I don’t hear her front door swing open until Mark’s voice booms into the space around us.
“Lucy, I’m hoooo shit...” he hollers in his worst Ricky Ricardo impersonation before he stops dead in his tracks, his jaw basically hitting the floor as Pete and Norm crash into him, all three loaded down with grocery bags they drop.
I immediately straighten up and shove Leo behind me since she’s standing here in nothing but her bra and incredibly short sleep shorts, and after her reaction to me seeing her scars, I doubt Leo is ready for them to.
“Dude, you fit through this door earlier, there is no reason you can’t now,” Pete grumbles as he shoves him forward a bit. “Fucking go, man…”
He looks over Mark’s shoulder and sees the two of us in a slightly compromising position; the piano is out, so is most of Leo’s skin, her shirt is on the bench, and we are pretty much glued together.
Bet they weren’t expecting to walk in on that.
Before I can even open my mouth, Leo reaches around me and snatches her shirt then bolts up the stairs to her bedroom.
“Nice, guys. Really,” I scold with a grin on my face as I move to help with their bags.
“Dude, if we would have thought, I mean, if we had any idea...” Norm’s words trail off as he sets his bags on the counter. “Man, Luck, you gotta know.”
“Know what? That the three of you have about as much tact as a herd of elephants? Yeah, I know that.” I smile and shake my head. “What exactly do you think was happening?”
“Well, I mean, it looked like... you know... it looked... Luck, man we had no idea you were gonna move that fast. I mean—” Mark is practically tripping over himself as he tries to grab the fruit now rolling all over the floor, his denial barely masked by ignorance.
“You’re so full of shit,” Pete says as he sets his bags on the counter. “We all are if we thought something like this wouldn’t happen so fast, but I didn’t, neither did you, and it’s about damn time we fucking solidify things so our girl knows shecan’tpush us away again.” He’s so nonchalant that Mark and Norm are shocked silent, especially when Pete shoots me thedon’t fuck this upandwe’ll talk laterlooks before he heads to the door. “You guys coming? There’s more shit to grab outta the beast.”
The two slowly shuffle behind him and as soon as the front door closes, I make quick work of the stairs, basically running up them to check on Leo.
Who greets me with a small smile from her place on the floor, her knees to her chest, her entire body wrapped in her comforter.
“I’m sorry,” I say as I plop down next to her. “I didn’t think they’d be back anytime soon. Or that they had a way to get in. If I’d have known, I wouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry I put you in that position, I just, I’ve waited so damn long to know what it was like to kiss you and I didn’t want to stop. I shouldn’t have put you in that position, though.”
Leo lets out a nervous laugh and gives me the side eye. “What are you talking about?”
“They saw us. Saw me kissing you. At least Mark did, I’m not sure about the other guys.” I run my hand through my hair anxiously because whether they saw or not, this isn’t news to them and once Mark gets his head out of his ass, everyone will be relieved. Leo is a different story, though. “I know I’m not something to be proud of, not even in front of those baboons.” I laugh at my self-depreciating comment and give her a nudge, hopefully to throw her off the scent.
Even if part of me does feel that way.
I haven’t talked to another girl since my face got destroyed.
I tried, don’t get me wrong, I went on a bit of a bender for a while and had afuck Leo out of my systemphase but by the twentieth time I got shot down with a look ofyeah fucking right,I gave up. I’m not proud of that, especially when I was shit-faced and crying to Pete about how we’ll never have babies without Leo, but he managed to knock the sense back into me once I sobered up. He’s definitely why I give less shits about how I look than I did right after everything happened.
Even still, I know I’m not pretty to look at, it’s been pounded into my skull by more than my own stupidity. My mother and brother like to bring it up every time I see them, and they really drill the point home that myfreakishly large bodynow has a face to match. So, I get it, trust me.
Leo stares at me for a hot second but says nothing, then she surprises the hell out of me with what she does next.
She knocks my knees down, straddles my lap, and wraps me in the comforter with her.
